Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 662 - 654: Xiao Baihe’s Metamorphosis, Using the Enemy’s Own Strategy?

Chapter 662: Chapter 654: Xiao Baihe’s Metamorphosis, Using the Enemy’s Own Strategy?

If you’re thinking the situation is favorable for the plaintiff now,

then Xiao Baihe would tell you, please be optimistic, you’re thinking too little.

The current situation, is it just favorable?

The plaintiff is almost in an unbeatable position, alright!

Unbeatable!

She can’t find any grounds for rebuttal!

It’s tough!

Watching Bai Meiqi casually summon a witness and control the direction of the entire courtroom with just a few words, Xiao Baihe feels powerless.

"Lawyer, what’s the situation now?"

It was at this moment that her client, Mr. Bao, questioned her in a low voice.

You’re the defense attorney, can’t you think of something, to save the situation?

Xiao Baihe was speechless, do you think I can save it if I want to?

Can’t you see the current situation?

The first witness Bai Meiqi summoned was the gallery manager, this Ms. Mi who claimed that your wife had agreed to donate all her paintings to the gallery before she died.

And she even brought up the powerful direction of "public interest."

If the painting were auctioned off, at least half of the money would be used for public welfare.

Think about the jurors, they’d rather see a 20 million painting with 10 million going to public welfare, rather than watch all the money go into the hands of someone who "gets it without working for it."

And to persuade the jury, you must prove that you are progressive, excellent, or pitiful, innocent, in short, someone who deserves to get the 20 million, which is so damn hard.

Mr. Bao, ask yourself, are you that kind of person?

Someone who can even be late to a morning court session!

Someone who is impatient, disrespectful, and who doesn’t care about personal cultivation; do you deserve the jury’s sympathy?

Xiao Baihe is actually being very polite.

She’s on the verge of confronting the party directly, questioning on the spot: do you deserve the key, and how many do you deserve?

In the courtroom, Bai Meiqi also sensed the defendant’s predicament.

"Hmph, Xiao Baihe, once a top prosecutor, it’s a pity that now you’ve left your comfort zone and entered the cruel world of defense attorneys, you’re already out of options!"

She watched the "full of conflicts" interaction between Xiao Baihe and her client, Mr. Bao, with a sneer in her heart.

A once top prosecutor, that’s all.

In the courtroom, the only person who could make her, Bai Meiqi, take notice is the one from the past!

Unfortunately...

She never had the chance to confront that person again.

In Bai Meiqi’s heart, the moment of sadness was fleeting, and then it was replaced by the solemnity of professional ethics.

Now, all she needs to care about is winning this lawsuit!

"Ms. Mi, you said that the artist Mrs. Wang had once agreed to donate all her paintings to your gallery, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, is there evidence of this matter? I’m afraid the defense may question you about this when they cross-examine."

Bai Meiqi said, glancing provocatively at Xiao Baihe as she spoke.

You think I didn’t consider it, but I’ve already figured you would definitely dwell on this issue, and I won’t give you the chance!

"Regarding this, it was actually a tacit understanding between both parties."

"Oh, so you’re saying there was no written agreement on how to proceed?"

"That’s right, we only had a verbal agreement, but every time Mrs. Wang had a new piece, it would be displayed in my gallery, and every time a work was sold, Mrs. Wang would meet the buyer with me, and the three of us would talk."

The witness recalled with a nostalgic look on her face: "I remember that Mrs. Wang, the clients, and I would always have pleasant conversations every time."

"Because Mrs. Wang was a pure person, her eyes only held art, and she didn’t want to be bound by rules and regulations. I think that’s why artists can create such beautiful works. I’ve met many artists; most are unrestrained. If bound by contracts or agreements, they wouldn’t be able to produce outstanding works like"Me"."

"So, I believe that even if Mrs. Wang’s health declined, even if something happened and she couldn’t continue to create, or even if her ex-husband came to dispute the so-called inheritance, I never asked Mrs. Wang to sign any written contracts with our gallery. Our relationship was more like friends, more like confidants."

Upon hearing Ms. Mi’s response, Bai Meiqi couldn’t help but nod her head.

Her gaze swept toward the jury, and so did the jurors.

She knew that if Xiao Baihe kept stressing this point, that there was no written contract, that the so-called friendship was but a game of interests, it would undoubtedly irritate the jury.

The last thing the jury wants is to mix friendship with money, and if you’re the one who keeps stressing it, you’d be the first to encounter hostility.

This was in the bag!

Bai Meiqi was intending to conclude her questioning, but after glancing at Xiao Baihe and her client, she decided to be even more secure.

"Ms. Mi, although it is bad to talk behind someone’s back, as the late Mrs. Wang’s friend, do you understand her relationship with her ex-husband?"

"This..."

The witness glanced at Mr. Bao and then nodded: "Of course, although Mrs. Wang didn’t like to chat about family matters because they know their own affairs best, things were not amicable between her and her ex-husband, but..."

"But what?"

"But there’s a saying, ’Good news stays within walls, bad news spreads far and wide.’ Everyone in the neighborhood and the surrounding area actually knew about Mrs. Wang and her ex-husband’s relationship."

"So, among these neighbors, what kind of person was Mr. Bao?"

"To put it simply, he was a deadbeat, an idler at home without a job, living entirely off Mrs. Wang’s support."

"Objection!"

As the witness responded, Xiao Baihe immediately stood up to express her objection.

"I’m not wrong, though. Mr. Bao stopped working a long time ago, and he even said to Mrs. Wang, ’Anyway, I go out to work every day and only make a few thousand yuan a month, but you can sell a painting for hundreds of thousands or even millions. You’re my wife, if you don’t support me, who will?’"

"Objection, hearsay evidence!"

Xiao Baihe interrupted again, but the witness had already blurted out everything.

For a moment, the entire courtroom looked at Mr. Bao with very unfriendly eyes.

A grown man, not working, completely dependent on his wife for living—how disgraceful!

Waste!

Wasn’t this the very definition of a waste?

Contempt, discomfort, eyes looking at him as if he were trash, made Mr. Bao extremely uneasy.

"I... I am not waste!"

He shouted in court, his face turning red.

Unfortunately, his words had no effect. Everyone believed, this man was beyond help.

"Judge Ni, our side has finished questioning!"

Seeing this, Bai Meiqi quickly spoke up, effectively cutting off any response that Ni Qiuping might have had.

"Though you concluded quickly, I still need to state that the objection is sustained, hearsay cannot be considered as evidence," Judge Ni said with a glance at Bai Meiqi, her look slightly hostile.

But then, she turned her expressionless gaze toward Xiao Baihe.

You’re done for!

With your skills, you still call yourself an ace?

You’ve lost this one for sure!

Even the judge thought Xiao Baihe was beyond help, which surely meant the outcome was sealed.

"Defense attorney, please come to the stand!"

Following Judge Ni’s prompt, Xiao Baihe approached the stand.

Meanwhile, Bai Meiqi, seated at the plaintiff’s bench, was watching the scene with great interest. She was curious to see if Xiao Baihe would step on a landmine.

"Witness, you... you took Mrs. Wang’s paintings to auction without any written commission agreement between you two?"

"Yes."

Ms. Mi nodded directly in response.

"As expected!"

Upon hearing this question, Bai Meiqi sneered directly.

You’ve stepped on a landmine, Xiao Baihe!

The jurors began to show expressions of understanding.

The plaintiff’s attorney guessed correctly; the defendant was indeed tangled up in issues with contracts and records.

At this moment, Xiao Baihe also felt indescribably troubled, because what else could she do besides this question? She wasn’t Zhang Wei, capable of asking questions that evoke shock and astonishment.

Wait a second...

All of a sudden, Xiao Baihe stopped complaining. A lightbulb went off in her mind.

If it were Zhang Wei, what questions would he ask? The operations Zhang Wei was best at, I remember are...

All at once, a strange gleam flashed in Xiao Baihe’s eyes.

"Hm?"

Bai Meiqi, seated at the plaintiff’s bench, and Judge Ni, on the judge’s bench, both noticed something odd.

Xiao Baihe seemed to have realized something in that brief instant.

"Witness, you are Dongfang Capital’s owner, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"As the owner of an art gallery, which is basically an art intermediary, you serve two types of clients, don’t you? The creators who entrust their artworks for auction and the customers who buy them, correct?"

"Yes."

"Running such a large gallery in Dongfang Capital, the daily expenses must be substantial, right?"

"This..."

The witness hesitated for a moment, not understanding the significance of this question.

"Objection, irrelevant to the case!"

Bai Meiqi immediately stood up and interrupted Xiao Baihe.

"Judge Ni, our side will next demonstrate that this question is of very significant relevance to the present case, please allow me to continue my inquiry!"

But Xiao Baihe, resolute, maintained a piercing gaze as she looked at Ni Qiuping.

"Good lord, that confident look, it reminds me of someone!"

On seeing this, Judge Ni showed a hint of reminiscence and couldn’t help but nod her head.

"The court will give you one chance, but please be mindful of the time!"

Judge Ni said, looking towards Bai Meiqi, "Objection overruled, the defense may continue with the questioning!"

Bai Meiqi, with no other option, sat down and then looked towards the court; she too felt a trace of oddity.

Having been granted permission, Xiao Baihe promptly resumed her questioning, "Ms. Mi, as the owner of an art gallery, it’s unlikely that you really just engage in charity work, so how do you intend to keep such a large gallery running?"

"This, I admit I do charge a certain commission fee, but..."

"I’m glad you mentioned the commission fee. This fee should be a certain percentage of the total amount of the auctioned artwork, correct?"

"Yes, that’s right..."

This time, after answering the question, Ms. Mi specifically glanced at the jury.

Among the jurors, the way some looked at her had changed.

"So, witness, I would like to ask you, aside from Mrs. Wang’s artwork, what is the highest auction price for a single painting in your gallery?"

"That is..."

"Ms. Mi, your gallery does maintain transaction records. If you don’t answer, may I do so on your behalf?"

"Probably around 300,000 or so," the witness quickly replied, as Xiao Baihe was about to speak.

Xiao Baihe’s expression remained unchanged, but she breathed a sigh of relief internally.

For she had not actually looked at the transaction records and did not know whether this figure was correct.

"Your commission is generally 10%, and for some artists in urgent need of selling their work or in need of money, you might charge up to 20%, is that correct?"

"Uh, yes, that’s right..."

"Well then, I’ll just calculate with the 10%. 300,000 amounts to a service fee of 30,000. Is this really the second most expensive artwork in your gallery?"

"This... apart from Mrs. Wang’s work, the other artists’ paintings that my gallery collects are all below master level..."

This line about being "below master level" was actually quite tactful.

The untactful way to put it: That’s just a bunch of amateurs!

"So, is it right for me to assume that your gallery depends on servicing Mrs. Wang’s works to maintain its daily operations, and even turns a slight profit?"

"This..."

"Mrs. Wang’s paintings, the lowest value of a painting is 500,000, from which you collect a service fee of 50,000. Moreover, Mrs. Wang’s paintings in recent years have been very much in demand, with a single work even selling for 5 million, which would mean a service fee of 500,000 for you!"

Upon hearing the number "500,000," the jury felt an impact, and their gazes towards the witness shifted again.

"The painting "Me" is valued at 20 million; this was the guaranteed minimum estimate before the auction. If I calculate with this number and a 10% rate, then the service fee could reach at least 2 million, correct!"

This time, the witness fell silent.

"Witness, may I therefore infer that your battle with my client over this painting was actually all about the money!"

With these words, the entire courtroom was in an uproar.

Indeed!

At the start, everyone only saw Mr. Bao fighting over the artwork for a painting valued at 20 million.

But they overlooked one thing, which was the art gallery’s boss, Ms. Mi’s, own motives?

It was a dispute between two parties. Ms. Mi had sued Mr. Bao because he had repeatedly caused a disturbance at the gallery, attempting to take away the painting "Me", on display there!

Therefore, many people felt that Mr. Bao was always after that 20 million painting.

Indeed, he was after it, and he didn’t even try to hide it.

But they overlooked the other party, the art gallery that held the painting, and the owner Ms. Mi.

Did she also want the painting?

By selling a painting, she could collect a service fee of at least 2 million.

This sum was not trivial, and the percentage could be increased, and the final auction bid was only the reserve price. What if the buyer was willing to pay more, perhaps even double the amount?

And what if there were several buyers bidding, wouldn’t the price skyrocket?

After all, when is an artist’s work most valuable?

Of course, after the artist’s death, when it becomes the last of its kind!

So, Xiao Baihe’s questioning led to a sudden shift in the courtroom’s atmosphere.

And both Bai Meiqi and Judge Ni seemed to see a hint of someone else.

Xiao Baihe at that moment seemed to be possessed by that person, her questioning was nothing short of divinely inspired!

"Witness, it seems to me that you and my client, Mr. Bao, are actually alike—you wanted that painting as well, didn’t you?"

"I..."

"There’s no need to explain. From the moment you took that painting, even deceived Mrs. Wang to obtain it, your true intentions were exposed!"

"Objection!"

Bai Meiqi immediately stood up, pointing at Xiao Baihe to express her protest.

"I retract my last statement and conclude my questioning!"

Xiao Baihe had naturally achieved her goal and, following the tactic Bai Meiqi had just used, ended her questioning directly.

Done!

After returning to her seat, Xiao Baihe let out a sigh of relief in secret.

What was Zhang Wei’s tactic?

Fight fire with fire!

Since Bai Meiqi wanted to associate the case with money and sought to portray the defendant, Mr. Bao, as someone who would resort to any means for money, even to the point of doggedly harassing others for that painting...

Then I too used her tactic and painted Ms. Mi, the gallery owner, as someone who would also stop at nothing just for that commission in the hundreds of thousands, even deceiving the artist, Mrs. Wang.

Come on, then!

Let’s all hurt each other!

Who’s afraid of whom, right?

My client would go head-to-head with the gallery for 20 million.

And your gallery, for the sake of the commission, sued my client directly—you are not any better, are you?

And indeed, the jury was influenced by this.

They still looked unfavorably upon Mr. Bao.

However, they likewise began to look at the witness, Ms. Mi, with a questionable gaze.

They all came to realize something.

So, all this fuss was about money!

"Witness, you may step down."

Seeing both parties at an impasse, Ni Qiuping spoke up to maintain the order of the court.

Ms. Mi left the witness stand and returned to the plaintiff’s seats, where she began to communicate quietly with Bai Meiqi.

They naturally could see the shift in courtroom sentiment and immediately began to think about strategy.

"Lawyer Bai, does your side have any more witnesses to call?"

"Judge Ni, after confirming with our client, we currently do not have any witnesses to call, so we pass the opportunity to speak to the defense!"

Hearing Bai Meiqi say this, Ni Qiuping was a little surprised.

As a lawyer from Jincheng Law Firm, Bai Meiqi had summoned only one witness before yielding the floor—could this be a countermeasure against the defense?

Judge Ni was not sure, nor did she want to think about it; she looked toward Xiao Baihe.

It’s your turn now.

"We would like to call the sister of the defendant, Ms. Bao, to testify."

Following Xiao Baihe’s announcement, a woman slowly rose from the first row of the audience and walked toward the witness stand.

"Why didn’t you let me go up and speak first, instead of calling my sister?"

Upon seeing this, Mr. Bao, the client, immediately became somewhat dissatisfied.

"Mr. Bao, you are not required to take the stand at the moment."

Xiao Baihe was outwardly accommodating, but internally, she had already begun to ridicule.

Do you really think you should take the stand, don’t you have any idea of your own capability?

If you went up there, sat in the witness stand, wouldn’t you just become a live target for the plaintiff?

Do you think they’re not winning fast enough, so you want to go up there and present your head to them on a platter?

I must be full and bored to summon you to the stand, wouldn’t I?

Do you think I’m as foolish as you are?

Of course, these were all thoughts Xiao Baihe muttered in her mind, outwardly maintaining her composure.

"Hello, witness."

"Hello, lawyer."

After exchanging greetings, Xiao Baihe went straight to questioning.

"Witness, I would like to ask, did Mrs. Wang love Mr. Bao?"